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“With any luck, it’ll at least be cleaner than that rat trap you work at.”
“Hey! Ripley’s is great. Shut up.” Kevin swatted at Percy as he steered the truck into a parking spot on the street beside the bar.
“Ah yes. The crunch of peanut shells underfoot speaks volumes of class and refinement.”
Kevin rolled his eyes and got out of the truck, walking around to join Percy and stopping short as he realized Percy had changed clothes.
He was now wearing a plaid shirt, a trucker hat, and sinfully tight jeans. His hair was down and framing his handsome face. He flashed a naughty grin, his golden tooth shining in the light. “What? I’m merely trying to blend in with the locals. Come along, peaches.”
“Shit.” Kevin’s eyes trailed over Percy’s incredible ass, and it looked very much like a present wrapped in denim. He wanted to tangle his hands in Percy’s beautiful long hair, but he knew they’d never make it inside the bar. “Let’s go. First round is on me.”
“I can’t wait.” Percy tipped his hat.
Kevin fell into step beside Percy as they walked around the building to get into the bar.
The entrance was right on the corner beneath a green domed awning. Corby’s was written across it just like the big sign, so there was no mistaking they were in the right place. Inside was a cozy space with table seating and a large wooden L-shaped bar. The walls were covered with a collage of framed pictures, notes, dollar bills, and assorted sports memorabilia. There was a giant neon sign that said Corby’s above the bar and some pool tables in the back.
“Delightful.” Percy glanced at the floor. “At least there’s no peanut shells.”
“The place is the poorer for it.” Kevin chuckled as he looked around.
It was definitely familiar, but somehow it wasn’t at the same time. It wasn’t like Ripley’s where he knew the smells, the sounds, and the people. He decided it was just because he hadn’t been here in a while. It wasn’t too busy, and Kevin scanned the available seating for a place to sit.
“Come on.” Kevin nudged Percy and gestured toward the bar. “Probably a good place to start, right?”
There were two seats open directly across from the door right in front of one of the big TVs and Percy took the one closest to the wall. “All right. So, tell me. What were high school boys doing celebrating their little away game at a bar? Is the legal drinking age here eleven?”
“Okay, fair.” Kevin sighed as he sat beside Percy. “Maybe it was when I was in college. That would make more sense.”
If he even went to college.
“Uh-huh.” Percy did not appear convinced. “Tell me, this football team of yours. What do you remember about it?”
“I know I had a lot of trouble making the cut. I was good, but I was kinda small. I also had bad grades, and we didn’t have that much money.”
“You? Small?” Percy wrinkled his nose. “Were you a particularly late bloomer? Because as it is, you’re every bit of six foot two and built like a brick shithouse.”
Kevin frowned. “I don’t… I don’t know.”
The bartender came over then, asking politely, “Hey! What can I get you gentlemen?”
Kevin wasn’t sure, too busy being muddled in fragments of what he hoped was a real memory. He bumped his shoulder against Percy’s. “What do you want to drink?”
“Blue Hurricane, if you’d be so kind,” Percy replied.
“I’ll have whatever he’s having,” Kevin mumbled, still struggling to make sense of the mess in his brain. There had to be something real here—there just had to be.
“Coming right up.” The bartender walked away.
“Okay, so yes, I could have been a late bloomer,” Kevin said, trying to pick back up on the conversation he and Percy had been having. “Maybe I hit a growth spurt in college or something.”
Percy purposefully gazed over Kevin. “I highly doubt it. Considering that your body is sculpted perfection that would make Adonis weep, I’m confident this is the form you fell to Earth in.”
The absurd compliment made Kevin blush and turn away, shaking his head. “I think you’re nuts.”
“I think you’re gorgeous, and I can’t wait to get started on my list.”
“What list?”
